One of three ‘research accelerator projects‘ starting in late 2024, this ADRA-led project ‘Strengthening Proactive Adaptation, and Early Action Systems to Enhance Food Security and Resilience to Multiple Hazards among Pastoralists in the Borana Zone, Ethiopia’ aims to enhance community resilience and empower pastoralist households to better prepare for and respond to multiple hazards.
Guarding the well: guns are kept by some pastoralists to protect against cattle raids and wild animals. Photograph: Tom LevittThe Challenge
The project aims to help address the critical issue of food insecurity and unstable livelihoods among pastoralist communities in the Borana Zone of Ethiopia. These communities are grappling with a complex combination of environmental challenges, including erratic rainfall, prolonged drought, and flooding, as well as socio-political factors such as conflict and resource depletion.
The recent severe droughts in 2020 and 2023 have exacerbated these conditions, leading to alarming levels of undernutrition and reliance on negative coping strategies among vulnerable households. Currently, many families are facing acute food shortages, as highlighted by the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) assessments, indicating severe food consumption gaps and high rates of malnutrition and mortality.
This problem extends beyond the local context; it is a significant regional concern that impacts the broader socio-economic stability of the Borana Zone. The livelihoods of pastoralist communities are integral to the region’s development, and their struggles can exacerbate poverty, conflict, and displacement, further destabilising the area.
The significance of this project lies in its focus on developing effective, locally relevant early warning systems and anticipatory action strategies that are context-sensitive and actionable.
Using the lived experiences of vulnerable communities in terms of risks, challenges and livelihood strategies as the basis, the project aims to enhance community resilience and empower pastoralist households to better prepare for and respond to multiple hazards. This initiative is essential not only for improving immediate food security but also for fostering long-term stability and resilience in the face of ongoing environmental and socio-economic challenges.
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